Through extensive testing, Tannus has developed an insert that solves some of gravel biking's most common problems. Rim Protection, Flat Prevention, Shock absorption, and sidewall support.
Rim Protection and Shock Absorption
Installing these inserts allows you to run at a lower tire pressure while also protecting your rims. Lower tire pressures mean better small bump compliance and increased traction.
Flat Prevention
Tannus inserts prevent common types of flats like puncture or pinch flats. The tubeless version adds support to your tire that decreases your likelihood of flatting. The tubed version protects the tube from punctures and sharp corners. On the off occasion you do flat while using Tannus, you can run these inserts while flat and make it back to the trailhead.
Sidewall support
Tannus Inserts are designed to give additional support while cornering. The Flexible wing design adds stiffness to your sidewall so you avoid rolling your tire.
Tannus inserts are designed to help you ride more and worry less.
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But having a gorgeous head-turner bicycle is not all there is for a great bike ride. The efficiency of your bicycle lies on your tires simply because of one practical reason: you can’t go anywhere far with a flat tire. So for someone who peddles a lot, read on as we give you six important tips to prevent flat tires on your bike.
The first step in preventing a flat tire is learning the basics of tire care. Depending on how frequently you hop on your saddle, it’s important to check your tires regularly. You may not notice it while cycling but there are small objects on the road that can hurt our tires. A broken piece of glass, rock shards, or a rusty nail may go unnoticed especially when you’re busy snaking the traffic. These objects may not cause immediate damage but may cut your tire as they closely work their way through.
To prevent this, check your tires periodically for stuck sharp objects or debris. Some regular bike commuters wash their tires every after week, while others prefer to check the tires every after use.
You may also probably be wondering why you keep having a flat tire when you’re doing a good job at basic tire maintenance. There’s nothing more frustrating when you gave all the care you could, but you still ended up having a flat tire. One possible reason is you are using the wrong tire. That’s why choosing the right kind of bicycle is one of the keys to preventing a flat tire so always consider your riding style when buying one.
For instance, if you’re using your bike to commute to work, and the road you usually drive on is mostly smooth, narrow tires will work for you. However, when on bumpy, rocky, or sandy terrains, narrow tires are not the best choice. Wider tires can gain more traction and are more suitable for these kinds of terrains.
While If you’re in for off-road riding, mountain bike tires are specifically made to withstand unpaved surfaces. Some mountain bike tires are specially designed to prevent punctures as mountain biking terrains usually have rocks, roots, and steep trails.
If you live in an area where thorns and road debris are common, bicycle tire liners will do most of the work to help you prevent flat tires. Tire liners are extra layers of thick plastic that fit between the tire and the tube. This extra layer will prevent punctures as it protects the tire tread from common sharp objects such as thumbtacks, glass, or nails. Installing a tire liner is not rocket science and most tire liners come with simple instructions on how to install them. But if you want to make sure that you install it correctly, your dealer can do the installation for you.
Some cyclists notice a difference in weight after installing a tire liner. The extra weight may slow you down a bit, but depending on the kind of road you’re cycling, tire liners are worth it.
Tannus Tires offer several solutions such as tire liners and airless tires. Learn more here: https://tannusamerica.com/
Overinflation and underinflation will both hurt your bike tires. Not only that, overinflated tires have less grip on the road and increase rolling resistance. It makes you think that you’re riding fast at first, but as you bike on, the rolling resistance reaches a breakpoint where you are actually pedaling slower. Whereas underinflated tires are more prone to pinch flats which happens when you hit sharp edges or sharp objects on the road or trail.
That’s why it is important to take note of the recommended PSI. PSI stands for pounds per square inch. It is the unit of measurement that measures the air pressure inside your tire. Usually, the maximum amount of PSI is indicated on the sidewall of the tire. However, achieving the recommended PSI depends on the biker’s weight and the tire width.
If you’ve been cycling for a while now, chances are you already have the misfortune of experiencing flats. While punctures may not be entirely avoided, there are still ways to prevent them from happening.
When on the road, you may think that the closer you are to the gutter, the safer you will be. But this will not only let you hit the gutter, but you also hit the debris, dirt, and other small objects that have been accumulated on the edge of the road. Moreover, it is not actually safe for you to drive so close to the gutter as you don’t have enough space to maneuver when a situation arises and worse, coming car drivers may not see you as they pay less attention to people in their peripheral vision.
While it’s not easy to avoid all the sharp objects while cycling, do try to drive around these things when you see one as much as possible.
While tubeless tires may cost you money, there are a number of reasons why some bike enthusiasts are switching to tubeless tires willingly. Tubeless tires require less air pressure making your grip better and your ride more comfortable. More importantly, they are more resistant to flats than tubed tires as they have thicker and heavier casing rubber for added protection.
If in case you hit a sharp object and cause a minor puncture, the liquid sealant that comes with the tubeless tire will automatically help you plug the hole while you’re on the move. Tubeless tires will prevent you from getting an overall flat.
For a daily bike commuter, there’s nothing more rewarding than a nice comfortable bike ride. For most of us, we expect the most convenience out of our bicycles. But for a bicycle to run smoothly, its tires should also be well taken care of. So, before you hop on your bike and start pedaling, consider these six tips and enjoy a nice bike ride whenever and wherever.
About the author: Chelsea Smith is the editor and content creator at Cycling Hacker. She's crazy about all things cycling and spends most weekends exploring mountain biking trails in her home state of Utah.
]]>Tire inserts have been used for years to prevent flats and increase performance. Using advanced technology, Tannus has created inserts that not only enhance your ride but also redefine simplicity. Here are three ways tire inserts help you ride more and worry less:
1. Shock Absorption
Running a Tannus Insert allows you to run lower tire pressures while also protecting your rim from hard impacts. Lower tire pressures mean better small bump compliance and increased traction.
2. Sidewall support
Tannus Inserts are designed to give additional support while cornering. The Flexible wing design adds stiffness to your sidewall so you avoid rolling your tire.
3. The ability to run flat
We have all been in the situation where you flat in the middle of a long ride. On the off occasion that you do flat while running Tannus, you will have the reassurance that you won't have to hike out.
So whether you ride an E-bike, Commuter Bike, Gravel Bike, or Mountain bike, Tannus Tire inserts allow you to worry less about your bike more on your ride. Learn more about Tannus Inserts and how they can enhance your ride at https://tannusamerica.com/pages/tannus-inserts
]]>One of the most common inquiries we get surrounds the mystic unknown measurement of the inner rim width. Quite simply, the inner rim width is the distance from the inside wall of one side of the rim to the inside of the other wall of the rim. However, the most interesting part of the inquiry is not the what but the why; the why of different internal rim widths and the ramifications for such in your riding.
In the not so distant past, rim and wheel manufacture supposed that the fastest wheels would be those that housed the skinniest tires which would be inflated to the highest air pressure short of critical failure. However, with the thin rim, the result was what is called a light bulb bulge. The light bulb bulge occurs when the rim is too thin and the tire overflows like your uncle Mike in a shirt be bought at Baby Gap. This creates a lightbulb shape of the tire and creates more surface area on the ground which led to more rolling resistance.
However, with new information via SCIENCE, the wheel question moved on to a slightly wider inner rim width. With this breakthrough, the lightbulb bulge developed into the U shape of the 1990's. This U shaped tire was more efficient than the U but still not perfect.
Recently, the inner rim width has widened to epic proportions to surpass the U shape and create more of a C shape. This C shape has been shown to be the fastest tire for a number of reasons. Tires that enable the U-shape lay within the golden width of 25c-32c. The reason being that these tires allow for the smallest contact patch of any tires previously. However, there are other reasons that these tires also are faster than the previous iteration of speed. One of the big reasons that these wider tires and larger rim widths are faster is because they allow for more momentum to be carried over the riding surface. One of the leading causes of speed loss is riding on unsmooth surfaces. Each time a rock hard tire hits small bumps in the road, or large ones if you like to ride on cobblestone, a small bit of momentum is sacrificed and a little piece of your inner speed demon dies. However, with a larger tire and a wider internal rim width, more of these little bumps are sequestered away in the confines of the tire allowing that inner speed demon to release his fury on your unsuspecting drivetrain.
However, as with all things, there is a point at which this efficiency crosses with other options. Studies differ on this point but the magic speed of optimal efficiency hovers between 24 - 30 mph. Apart from the optimal efficiency, these tires are much more comfortable to ride on and they allow for a bit more exploration if you are feeling adventurous. While all the studies have used pneumatic tires for the trials, the same. type of research holds true for the Tannus Airless Tires. Each tire has a point for which it excels. The only questions are what type of riding will you be doing? How fast you want to go? And much padding is in your chamois?
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As with most of life, we tend to look at the glamorous and exciting parts of cycling and not think about the “What ifs”. Sure, we live in a mostly civilized society and, therefore, you would think that you could ride in the embrace of brotherly love where ever you like. This isn’t Philadelphia, sister and have you ridden there lately? I didn’t think so.
Remember this:
"If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail”
Hey, you want to ride your bike to work?
Hybrid or "Comfort"
Road Bikes
If your goal is fitness, but not full out racing, there are Road Bikes that have the high-quality components, lighter-weight, yet less aggressive riding positions. These are great options for someone who wants to take advantage of the low-impact health benefits without committing to the more bent-over riding style of the racing bike that is optimized for uncompromised speed. Bikes in this category will start at $500 and go up to $2000+ to get nicer components, carbon fiber frames, and the latest technology.
Road Racers
Just go do it!
If you’ve never been involved in a sporting event, there is an electric current flowing through the participants that leave you charged up. As you get more involved, you start to make friends that you will look forward to reuniting with at every meet. Since a lot of these events are sponsored, you will also have access to industry vendors and athletes for tips and just good camaraderie. Chances are, you will probably see Tannus there cheering you on.
I have been into biking my whole life, I started out mountain biking and did my first mountain bike race when I was 15. When I was 25 I got into road biking and instantly fell in love. I love biking so much that I opened a bike store where we sell all types of bikes, from road bikes to mountain bikes, kids bikes and commuter bikes. Cycling is a big part of my life, I usually ride 5 times a week.
As much as I love biking I am cursed with getting flats, it doesn't matter if it's a race or during a training ride for whatever reason I just get a lot of flats. Being a bike store owner it's not like I don't know how to pump up a tire correctly, or change a flat. I have change so many flat tubes for myself and customers I couldn't even begin to guess. I've also tried about every flat resistant system on the market and while they help none of them are perfect.
Perhaps it's because I am a big guy, I am 6’4 and 190 pounds, but the kind of luck I have is crazy bad. Just ask my riding buddies; they’ll all tell you. In Utah where our shop is, we have problems with puncture weeds or goat heads. A small weed that wreaks havoc on tires, when they dry out. Late summer and fall time it's absolutely amazing how many people come in for a tube, at least 30 people a day.
In 2015 my business partner and I figured we had to do something, because surely there had to be a better way. We spent almost 2 years researching different puncture resistant systems. This included making a couple trips to Asia where most bike products come from, looking at flat proof systems. If there is a flat proof bike tire system out there I've ridden it and can tell you about it's good points and bad points. There are some ok systems out there and there are some really bad systems but for a road cyclist the best system is Tannus Tires.
Tannus airless tires are the best flat proof system on the market. In fact, we love them so much we became the distributor for the US. I know I am slightly biased because now we sell them, but my results speak for themselves.
In 2017 after we had found Tannus and started selling them I wanted to put them to the test and see if they could help me with my training. I have been doing a bike race every year for the last 7 years called Lotoja. It is a 204 mile bike race that goes from Logan Utah to Jackson Hole Wyoming the second weekend of September. It is the longest sanctioned road race in the US and one of the hardest. I love it because the course is beautiful, the event organizers do a great job and it forces me to train hard all summer long. In 2014 I got my then best time of 9 hours and 45 minutes, in 2016 I came close to beating it at 9 hours and 46 minutes.
Now while I own a bike shop and love cycling, that doesn't mean I bike all the time. I do have a family, while my wife is extremely patient she has her limits. If you were to look at my Strava I usually ride 25 to 30 hours a month. The most I have ever ridden in a month is 60 hours and my wife told me if I ever road that much again I'd be in big trouble. So there wasn't an option to dedicate more time to training, I had to train differently. I have tried several training plans in the past, I have done diets and while it all helps the best I could do at Lotoja was a time of 9 hours and 45 minutes. So for my 2017 season I decided I would do all my training on Tannus airless tires.
Tannus airless tires have a higher rolling resistance than normal tires; anywhere from 3% to 5% depending on the tire and rider weight. While most people can't feel the difference, a cyclists who has put thousands of miles on a bike can definitely feel the added rolling resistance. So Tannus tires aren't race tires, but my theory was that if I trained on them with their higher rolling resistance and switched to my favorite race tire right before a bike race that the added resistance would make me stronger. A similar concept to how baseball players put weights on their bats, or runners or high jumpers putting weights on their ankles while they train. Getting used to Tannus and switching to a pneumatic race tire right before a race had to make a difference and I decided I would test it.
For the 2017 race season I decided I was going to do 100% of my training on Tannus tires and switch to a pneumatic tire for race day. Limited by time I was not able to train longer I still road thousands of miles during the season but I really didn't really change much on my training time. I pretty much trained the same as I always do; the only thing I changed was that 100% of my rides were on Tannus.
My first big road event using my Tannus training method was the Desperado Duel in Southern Utah. This is a 150-mile road bike event that has about 6000 feet of climbing and is in some of the most beautiful scenery you can find. This was the first time I had done this event and heard it was a great event. I was able to keep up with the lead group for the first 100 miles and then when the last big climb came a grueling 25 mile 5000 feet climb I was able to leave the pack and I ended up getting 2nd place overall. I was super excited and very surprised considering I'd never finished on the podium.
Desperado Duel is about 6 weeks before Lotoja, impressed with the results I decided I would keep training on my Tannus airless tires. So keeping my same training routine as I had done for the past couple years I just did it all on Tannus tires. After awhile you really get used to Tannus and forget about the added rolling resistance. Sure there were a couple group rides I went on where I was pushing myself to keep up, overall I just forgot Tannus was there. That is until race day.
The morning of Lotoja was great, good energy from the other racers, weather was perfect and the whole race I felt great. I was able to climb the mountain passes at the front of the pack and still keep my heart rate low. I road the first 100 miles with the peloton but I felt as if they were going too slow. So after about 100 miles of riding so I broke away hoping others would follow me, but no one did so I was in the front solo. I knew I probably couldn’t ride the next 100 miles solo without the peloton catching me so I didn’t push too hard, I kept my power and heart rate at a moderate pace. However even at the moderate pace it still took the group 50 miles to catch me. Once the group caught me I still felt great, my legs were doing great my heart rate was still low. I had the podium in my sights, but then it happened, you guessed it I got a flat. The IRONY. As I started fixing my flat and went to use my CO2 pump it broke! I then had to wait 10 minutes for my support vehicle to come find me and get me another pump. I lost about 15 minutes dealing with the flat and by then the peloton was long. I pushed as hard as I could the last 55 miles of the race but never caught back up with the lead group. I did catch up with some other riders in my group and I still managed to get 8th place overall and I came in at 9 hours and 18 minutes a full 28 minutes faster than my previous best time.
You always play the "what if" game after such a close call. Who knows how I would have done, I felt as if I could have made the podium but you never know how the other riders were feeling. After Lotoja I did some several shorter distance races and also saw improvements there. My training for 2017 has proven to me that Tannus is a wonderful way to train. Not only does it eliminate flats but it will make you faster. Internationally Tannus is being used by other cyclists and triathletes as well to train and they love it because they can do all their interval workouts and not have to worry about flats.
After what I call the initial break in of the tires, which is about 40 to 50 miles, you really forget that they are different and they become normal. You really don’t feel any different until race day when you go back to your race tires. I know I am slightly biased but I love Tannus airless tires for training and commuting they just make so much sense and are absolutely hassle free. I dont' carry a saddle bag when I ride, I don't have to pump up my tires every morning, I just get on my bike and ride.
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